MAYA ANGELOU S VIEWS ON DISCRIMINATION ISSUES IN ARKANSAS, SOUTH AMERICA AS REFLECTED IN THREE OF HER POEMS A THESIS Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to obtain Sarjana Sastra (S.S.) Degree in English Literature By Sugeng Erwanto Student Number: 10340005 ENGLISH LITERATURE STUDY PROGRAM FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCE AND ECONOMICS RESPATI YOGYAKARTA UNIVERSITY 2015 i
This thesis is dedicated in humble gratitude to my parents: Bonardi and Amanah who always support me with everything they have and they do what they can do for their children. Thanks for everything. And to my beloved sister : Arifa Yuningsih v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Alhamdulillah with the blessing of Allah, I can finally complete this thesis. This is my first attempt to know more about literature especially about poems of Maya Angelou which concern about discrimination. In particular, my gratitude was for my thesis advisors, Miss Fransisca Endang L. S.Pd., M.Hum and Mr. Purwanto S.S., M.Hum for the valuable guidance and encouragement during the process of making this thesis. I am greatly indebted to all of my lectures who encouraged me during the process in writing this thesis; Miss Adesti Komalasari M.A, Miss Maria Zakia Rahmawati, S.P., M.Hum, Miss Devi Rosmawati, S.S., M.Hum, Mr. Tri Septa Nurhantoro, S.S., M.Hum. I would like to thank to all of my friends; Nur Yahya, Anggarius Victorios, Nurhadi Atatuos, Dedi Candra, Vivi. Thanks for supporting me. Vi
APPROVAL PAGE ACCEPTANCE PAGE PERNYATAAN KEASLIAN DEDICATION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION... 1 A. Background of Study... 1 B. Identification of the Problem... 5 C. Research Questions... 6 D. Objective of the Research...6 E. Limitation of the Research... 7 F. Benefit of the Research... 8 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW... 10 A. Preview of Theories... 10 1. Sociology and Literature... 10 2. Genetic Stucturalism... 11 3. Poem... 13 4. Intrinsic Elements... 14 5. Extrinsic Elements... 19 6. View... 25 B. Preview of Related Studies... 26 C. Theoretical Framework... 27 CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY... 31 A. Research Method... 31 B. Data and Data Sources... 31 C. Research Instruments... 32 D. Technique for Data Collection... 32 E. Data Analysis... 33 F. Data Trustworthiness... 34 CHAPTER IV: DATA ANALYSIS... 35 A. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (poem)... 35 1. Explanation of the poem ( Biography)... 36 2. Intrinsic Element... 37 3. Extrinsic Element... 42 4. Maya Angelou s views in I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings... 4 vii
B. Equality (poem)... 45 1. Explanation of the poem ( Biography)... 46 2. Intrinsic Element... 47 3. Extrinsic Element... 50 4. Maya Angelou s views in Equality... 51 C. Still I Rise (poem)... 52 1. Explanation of the poem ( Biography)... 53 2. Intrinsic Element... 54 3. Extrinsic Element... 57 4. Maya Angelou s views in Still I Rise... 58 CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS... 59 A. Conclusion... 59 B. Suggestions... 62 REFERENCES APPENDIXES viii
ABSTRACT Sugeng Erwanto, Maya Angelou s Views on Discrimination Issues in Arkansas, South America As Reflected in Three of Her Poems. Yogyakarta: English Literature Study Program. Respati Yogyakarta University. 2015. This study aims to find the views of Maya Angelou about discrimination as depicted in three of her poems. Those poems are I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Equality, and Still I Rise. This is a descriptive qualitative study. The data were three poems of Maya Angelou and other sources like books and internet. Genetic Structuralism used to analyze this data. The finding of this study indicates that the three of Maya Angelou poems used imageries and figurative languages. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings uses symbols like caged bird, free bird, wings, wind represented of something related with discrimination. This poem also uses metaphor, personification, auditory imagery, and kinesthetic imagery. The views of Maya Angelou were black people, who were described as caged birds, were issolated and discriminated by white people, who were depicted as free birds. Equality uses symbols like You, We and I. You represents white people, We represents black people and I represents herself. This poem also employes visual imagery and auditory imagery as well as irony. Maya Angelou used the poem to declare that human is equal and they have equal rights. Still I Rise also uses symbol like You and I, I represents black and You represents white. This poem uses hyperbole as a figurative language, Maya Angelou declared that black people would never give up in fighting the provocation and discrimination done by white people. The author gave a spirit to the black in using a hyperbole as one of figurative language. The three of Maya Angelou s poems one chosen in this writing because those poems indicated in protesting to very hot issue in the society, called discrimination by using imageries, symbols, diction and other figurative language. ix
LIST OF ABREVIATIONS ABHF NAACP ANC : Arkansas Black Hall of Fame : The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People : African National Conference x